FINAL REPORT Community Based Flood and Glacial Lake Outburst Risk Reduction Project (CFGORRP) PIMS #4657 (GEF ID 4551) March 2018 Nepal Prepared for UNDP Nepal Prepared by Tonkin & Taylor Ltd Date Job Number Evaluation Team Bapon Fakhruddin, PhD Govinda Basnet, PhD Document Control Title: Date Version Description Prepared by: Reviewed Authorised by: by: 18/12/17 Draft Draft Final Report Bapon Govinda Bapon Fakhruddin Basnet Fakhruddin 18/03/18 Final Final Report Govinda Bapon Bapon Basnet Fakhruddin Fakhruddin Distribution: UNDP Nepal copies Table of contents 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Purpose of the Evaluation 1 1.2 Scope and Methodology 2 1.3 Structure of the evaluation report 5 2 Project description and development context 5 2.1 Project start and duration 7 2.2 Problems the project sought to address 7 2.2.1 Technical and management challenges 8 2.2.2 Financial Challenges 8 2.3 Immediate and development objectives of the project 9 2.4 Baseline Indicators Established 9 2.5 Main stakeholders 10 2.6 Expected Results 12 2.7 Project Working Area 12 3 Findings 13 3.1 Project Design / Formulation 13 3.1.1 Analysis of LFA/Results Framework (Project logic/strategy; Indicators) 14 3.1.2 Assumptions and Risks 1 3.1.3 Lessons from other relevant projects (e.g., same focal area) incorporated into project design 1 3.1.4 Planned stakeholder participation 1 3.1.5 Replication approach 3 3.1.6 UNDP’s comparative advantage 3 3.1.7 Linkages between project and other interventions within the sector 3 3.1.8 Management arrangements 4 3.2 Project Implementation 5 3.2.1 Adaptive management (changes to the project design and project outputs during implementation) 5 3.2.2 Partnership arrangements (with relevant stakeholders involved in the country/region) 6 3.2.3 Feedback from M&E activities used for adaptive management 7 Project Finance 7 3.2.4 Monitoring and evaluation 9 3.3 Project Results 9 3.3.1 Overall results (attainment of objectives) 9 3.3.2 Relevance 12 3.3.3 Effectiveness 14 3.3.4 Efficiency 17 3.3.5 Country ownership 18 3.3.6 Mainstreaming 18 3.3.7 Sustainability 19 3.3.8 Impact 22 4 Conclusions, Recommendations & Lessons 23 4.1 Corrective actions for the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project 23 4.2 Actions to follow up or to reinforce initial benefits from the project 24 4.3 Proposals for future directions underlining main objectives 24 UNDP Nepal 4.4 Best and to-be improved practices in addressing issues relating to relevance, performance and success 25 4.4.1 Practices for improvement 25 4.5 Recommendations 25 Appendix A : ToR Appendix B : Itinerary Appendix C : List of Persons interviewed Appendix D : Evaluation Questions Matrix Appendix E : CFGORRP/DHM monitoring Framework Appendix F : Evaluation Consultant Agreement Form Appendix G : Report Clearance Form Appendix H : Documents Reviewed UNDP Nepal Abbreviations AMAT Adaptation Monitoring and Tracking Tool AEWS Automated Early Warning System BZMC Buffer Zone Management Committee BZUC Buffer Zone User Committee CBDM Community Based Disaster Management CBDRR/M Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction/Management CBEWS Community Based Early Warning System CBFEWS Community Based Flood Early Warning System CBO Community Based Organizations CCA Climate Change Adaptation CDRMP Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Programme CDMC Community Disaster Management Committee CFGORRP Community Based Flood and Glacial Lake Outburst Risk Reduction Project CPAP Country Programme Action Plan DDC District Development Committee DRR Disaster Risk Reduction DDRC District Disaster Relief Committee DEOC District Emergency Operation Center DHM Department of Hydrology and Meteorology DNPWC Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation DRM Disaster Risk Management DRMC District Risk Management Committee DRR Disaster Risk Reduction DRRAP Disaster Risk Reduction Action Plan DSCO District Soil Conservation Office DSCWM Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management DWIDP Department of Water Induced Disaster Prevention DWIDM Department of Water Induced Disaster Management ETW Elevated Tube Well EWS Early Warning System GEF Global Environment Facility GLOF Glacial Lake Outburst Floods GoN Government of Nepal GRMCC GLOF Risk Management and Coordination Committee ICIMOD International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change km kilometre KU Kathmandu University LAPA Local Adaptation Plan for Action LDCF Least Developed Country Fund LDRMP Local Disaster Risk Management Plans LRP Local Resource Person LSAR Light Search and Rescue M meters M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MoEST Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology UNDP Nepal MoF Ministry of Finance MoFALD Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development MoFSC Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation MoHA Ministry of Home Affairs MoPE Ministry of Population and Environment MTR Mid-Term Review NAPA National Adaptation Programme of Action on Climate Change NEOC National Emergency Operation Centre NRs Nepali Rupees NSDRM National Strategy for Disaster Risk Management NWRS National Water Resources Strategy PEB Project Executive Board PEP People’s Embankment Programme PIR Project Implementation Reviews PPCR Pilot Programme on Climate Resilience PPG Project Preparation Grant PSC Project Steering Committee RBMF Results-Based Management Framework RCCRP Regional Climate Risk Reduction Project in the Himalayas RDRC Regional Disaster Relief Committee SDG Sustainable Development Goals SNP Sagarmatha National Park SFDRR Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction TAG Technical Advisory Group UNDAF United Nations Development Assistance Framework UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change USAID U.S. Agency for International Development USD United States Dollars VDC Village Development Committee VDRMC Village Disaster Risk Management Committees Job No: UNDP Nepal Executive summary Background As a standard requirement for all projects implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), UNDP initiated this Terminal Evaluation (TE) of the 'Community Based Flood and Glacial Lake Outburst Risk Reduction Project' (CFGORRP). In accordance with the UNDP partnership protocol with the GEF, the final evaluation of the project includes ratings on the project's relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and monitoring & evaluation. The evaluation has also rated the likelihood of the results (outputs and outcomes) that can be sustained. The most recent UNDP Guidance1 for Conducting Terminal Evaluations has been applied. The key data of the project are presented in Table A1. Table A1: Project summary table Project Title: Community Based Flood and Glacial Lake Outburst Risk Reduction Project (CFGORRP) Region: Asia Country: Nepal Finance Total (US$) Atlas Award ID: 00069781 Total allocated resources: 26,971,510 Project ID: 00084148 Total project finance: 7,568,430 PIMS# 4657 GEF-LDCF Financing: 6,300,000 Start date: 2013 UNDP (in-cash): 949,430 End date: 2017 UNDP/TRAC (in-cash): 319,000 Management Arrangement: NIM Total Co-financing: 19,403,080 PAC Meeting date: 10-Apr-13 UNDP (CDRMP) (in-kind): 7,682,900 Executing Agency (EA): DHM NRRC (parallel co-financing): 2,857,811 Implementing Agency (IA): UNDP Govt. Nepal/DWIDP (In-kind): 7,000,000 Other Partners Involved: DNPWC USAID-ADAPT ASIA (parallel co- 157,369 financing): DSCWM ICIMOD (parallel co-financing): 1,705,000 Project description The CFGORRP is the first project implemented under the GEF-administered Least Developed Countries Fund (GEF-LDCF) after the endorsement of the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) in 2010. The project was a joint undertaking of the Government of Nepal (GoN), GEF, and UNDP. It was implemented by the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) under the Ministry of Population and Environment (MoPE) as the lead Implementing Agency with the following collaborating partners: the Department of Water Induced Disaster Management (DWIDM), the Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management (DSCWM), and the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC). The objective of the project was to reduce human and material losses from Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in Solukhumbu district and from catastrophic floods in the Terai and Churia ranges. It had two outcomes/components. 1 UNDP Guidance for Conducting Terminal Evaluations of UNDP-supported, GEF-financed Projects. http://web.undp.org/evaluation/documents/guidance/GEF/UNDP-GEF-TE-Guide.pdf UNDP Nepal Outcome/Component 1 aimed at reducing GLOF risks from Imja Lake. The major outputs included the construction of an artificially controlled drainage system for Imja Lake; development of protocols for GLOF risk monitoring and maintenance of the artificial drainage system; design of a practical, low-maintenance, and gender-sensitive community-based early warning system; training in GLOF risk management; and institutionalization of GLOF risk management skills and knowledge. Outcome/Component 2 aimed at reducing human and material losses from recurrent flooding events from Churia-originated river systems in flood-prone Terai districts. The flood component consisted of four outputs: sediment control and stabilization of hazard-prone slopes and river banks through structural and non-structural measures; flood proofing and water and sanitation system in selected Village Development Committees (VDCs); institutionalization of